The Dragon Slayers
by Morgan A. Russell
Summary: A crossover between "Slayers" and "DragonLance."
1. In the Woods

Author's Note:  
  
Firstly, I own none of the Slayers or DragonLance characters; this is why it's FAN fiction and not actual professional stuff. I've only read a few books of the DragonLance series because it's not my favorite stuff, but I like some of the characters enough to use them here. I am a RABID fan of the Slayers Next series, have seen every episode at least twice, and wish I were Lina Inverse. However, I don't really know that much about the characters' backgrounds, so I'm going to wing most of it, but if you read this and see I've made a grave mistake somewhere please be kind enough to review it and let me know. Thanks!  
  
The Dragon Slayers  
  
Chapter One: In the Woods  
  
Raistlin Majere leaned back against the tree and sighed. With his companions off gathering firewood, he would finally have some time to himself.   
  
It was a quiet day, overcast but not too cold, and thankfully rainless. The mage sniffed the sweet autumn air, enjoying the sounds of silence in the forest. He, his brother Caramon, and the cleric Crysania had traveled into these deep, mysterious woods in search of the Tower of Darvish, once the residence of the most powerful mages in the world. Raistlin had convinced Caramon and Crysania to accompany him, telling them he planned to defeat the spirits rumored to inhabit the tower and turn it over to the Light.   
  
He had told them the truth.  
  
Well, half of the truth, in any case. He did plan to defeat the spirits, but he couldn't care less about the Light; he just wanted more power.  
  
At that moment, he fell into a fit of coughing, an affliction the young mage had suffered for some years. Bent almost double, he staggered forward and-  
  
He stopped, forcing himself to hold back his coughs. A force had hit him so hard he had almost been knocked backwards-there was a strong magical presence close by, almost as strong as his own.   
  
Could he be close to the Tower?  
  
There was a rustling in the bushes a few yards away, and Raistlin had to support himself against the tree as the force came closer. What was it? A magical beast? Another mage? What?  
  
"OOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!" Came an inhuman howling from the bushes. Raistlin put his hand to his belt, ready to throw a deadly powder on whoever or whatever it was.  
  
"Gourry," the voice cried again, "you're stepping on my foot! GET OFF!"  
  
Raistlin blinked.   
  
"Sorry, Lina," replied a young man's voice. "I didn't see you there."  
  
"Well, you'd just better watch where you're going. I'm starving, and you know me when I get hungry. Nobody gets in my way!"  
  
"Tell me about it," came the voice of another man. This voice was deep, and sardonic. "The last time you missed dinner an entire village burned to the ground."  
  
"It was two in the morning, I was hungry, they were out of hot pot, and they refused to make me more! Was it such an unreasonable demand?"  
  
"Miss Lina, you should really try to control your temper more," said a fourth voice, the voice of a very young woman. It was high-pitched, slightly nasal, and instantly began grating on Raistlin's nerves.   
  
The magical force surrounding these people was incredible; Raistlin had never, in all his years, felt anything like it.  
  
"Who goes there?" He called out, pulling his hood hastily over his head so that his face was bathed in shadow.  
  
The bushes rustled a bit more, and out stepped-  
  
"A girl?" Raistlin said, aghast. She looked about fifteen, with flaming red hair and a tiny, pert nose.   
  
"Not just a girl, for your information," she said, giving him a critical once-over. "I am none other than Lina Inverse, the famed bandit-killer."  
  
Raistlin looked blankly at her.  
  
"Aw, come on," the girl called Lina cried, "you have to have heard of me! Lina Inverse? THE Lina Inverse? No?"   
  
She looked around.   
  
"What kind of crazy place is this, anyway?"  
  
Raistlin shook himself. Could this really be the source of that incredible aura? She certainly didn't look like any sorceress he had ever seen. No robes or anything.  
  
"Hey, guys," Lina called into the bushes, "come on out."  
  
At her call, from out of the bushes came the bodies possessing the other three voices Raistlin had heard. There was a tall, blonde-haired man, obviously a warrior, although his garb was strange. Beside him was another girl, obviously the whiny-voiced one, with short black hair and big blue eyes. The last person to emerge from the shrubbery was a second man; like Raistlin, a hood hid his face. He and Raistlin looked each other over, each recognizing a kindred spirit of sorts.  
  
"So, where are we, anyway?" Lina repeated.  
  
"You mean you don't know?" Raistlin asked. "How did you manage to get here?"  
  
Lina bit her lip and rolled her eyes skywards.  
  
"Good question. We were just walking along, minding our own business, trying to get to Kawanomiko Mountain, when all of a sudden there was this big flash of light. Next thing we knew, we were in those bushes over there."  
  
"There is powerful magic at work here," Raistlin muttered to himself.   
  
"What?" Said the warrior. "Didn't quite catch that."  
  
Raistlin stared at him. Who were these people, anyway?  
  
"I said," Raistlin spoke, "that there must be powerful magic at work."   
  
He turned to Lina.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I already told you," she said flippantly, "I'm Lina Inverse. These are my traveling companions, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis. We're from-"  
  
At that moment, a voice from the woods called,  
  
"Raistlin, I hope you're hungry, because I caught three whole rabbits; that's more than enough for the three of us-"  
  
Caramon Majere stepped forward, a load of firewood in his arms and three skinned rabbits slung across his back. He looked at the four newcomers warily.  
  
"Raist? Who are these guys?"  
  
"That's just what I was trying to figure out," Raistlin said, not taking his eyes off of the strangers.  
  
Crysania the cleric, panting and covered in sweat, wandered up behind Caramon, laden with more firewood.  
  
"Hello," she said cautiously.  
  
The hooded man, Zelgadis, stepped forward to help Crysania.  
  
"Here, let me take some of that," he said in a pleasant baritone.   
  
"Thank you," Crysania said gratefully, giving the man one of her dazzling smiles.   
  
Lina walked over to Caramon, looking boldly up at him.   
  
"All right," she said, "Rabbit! That sounds perfect."  
  
Caramon cast a dubious glance at his twin brother.  
  
"I guess if all of you are eating with us, I'll have to go find some more."  
  
"I think you will," Lina replied.  
  
"... Are they eating with us, Raist?" Caramon asked.  
  
Raistlin looked at the four strangers, from Lina, who was staring ravenously at the dead animals, to Gourry, who had an identical glazed look in his eyes, to Amelia, who was smiling apologetically (or maybe just stupidly), to Zelgadis, whose gaze was locked on Crysania. There didn't seem to be any way out of this one.  
  
"I suppose so," he sighed. "Go on, Caramon. We'll start a fire, and you go find us some more food-before sunset.   
  
"If we don't get eaten first," he added under his breath, noting the thread of saliva dangling from Gourry's lower lip.  
  
  



	2. Revelations

Chapter Two: Revelations  
  
A/N: It seems, as I write this chapter, that I've forgotten some of the words to the Dragon Slave spell. Could someone help me out?  
  
Caramon turned on his heels and lumbered back into the woods in search of more food, while Crysania and Zelgadis laid down the firewood, which was slightly damp, and attempted to start a fire.  
  
"Oh, dear," Crysania said, staring hopelessly at the fire, which refused to do anything but smolder, "the wood won't catch and we've only one match left."  
  
Lina looked over at them and grinned.  
  
"Oh, is that all? Here, stand back…"  
  
She held her hands up in front of her, aimed them at the fire, and began to chant.  
  
"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…"  
  
"LINA! NOOOOOOOO!" Screamed her companions in unison.  
  
"…Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows…"  
  
"Quick! Get down!" Gourry cried, pulling Crysania and Raistlin out of the way. They began sprinting back into the woods, looking vainly for shelter.  
  
"Wha-" Crysania began.  
  
"Just HIDE!" Zelgadis screamed at her.  
  
"…I vow to destroy all those who stand before me, with the power you and I possess-- DRAAAGOOOOOOOOOON… SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVE!"  
  
Deep in the shrubbery, Zelgadis, Amelia, Gourry, Raistlin and Crysania crouched low, covering their heads with their arms and bracing for the impact of the explosion that-  
  
Never came.  
  
"Huh?" Gourry said, peering over the bush cautiously.  
  
"I don't understand," Lina was saying, looking at the pathetic puff of smoke she had produced. "Why won't my magic work?"  
  
Brushing themselves off, her companions, the mage, and the cleric stood up.  
  
"I've never heard a spell like that," Raistlin said. "Where did you say you were from?"  
  
"Obviously not anywhere near here," Zelgadis said, gazing curiously at Lina. "Let me try."  
  
He turned to a tree, stretched his arms out, and cried, "Flare Arrow!"  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
"Does this mean none of our magic will work?" Amelia simpered.   
  
In the setting sun, Raistlin held up his staff.  
  
"Shirak," he muttered, and the crystal orb mounted to his staff began to glow softly.   
  
"There isn't any trouble with my magic," he said. "Perhaps the magic of your land simply doesn't work here."  
  
Lina studied the amulets she wore at her belt, wrists, and neck.   
  
"Huh," she said. "That sucks."   
  
She looked at her companions.  
  
"That sucks!" She cried, stamping her foot. "How are we going to get anything done if none of us can use our magic? How are we going to get out of this god-forsaken place?"  
  
"That's an excellent question," Zelgadis said, leaning against a tree with his arms folded and one leg propped up against the trunk. He looked at Raistlin.   
  
"You can use magic; are you a sorcerer?"  
  
"A mage," Raistlin said, "from the Order of the Black Robes."   
  
He took in the blank gazes he was getting.  
  
"You don't know the three orders?"  
  
"We're not from here, remember?" Lina answered, still miffed about not being able to use her powers. "We don't know anything about this place. We have no idea where we are, how we got here, or how to get back. Now what are we supposed to do?"  
  
"Hey, maybe you could help us," Gourry said, grinning broadly. "If you can use magic, maybe you can find out some way to get us back home."  
  
"I think not," Raistlin said. "You may eat with us tonight, but my companions and I are on a very important mission, and we cannot waste any time."  
  
"What kind of mission?" Amelia asked. "A mission of justice? We're good at missions; we could help!"  
  
"It would be useful to have a few extra-" Crysania began.  
  
"No," Raistlin said firmly. "They are not coming with us. It will be myself, Caramon, you, and no one else. That is the way it must be."  
  
"Aw," Gourry said sadly, "what are we supposed to do then?"  
  
"Frankly, I couldn't care less," Raistlin replied, his voice cold.  
  
"Well," came Amelia's haughty reply, "That certainly isn't very friendly.  
  
Raistlin stared at her evenly.  
  
Zelgadis straightened up and went back to the fire.   
  
"Come on," he murmured. "Let's just try to get the fire started. We can have dinner, then figure out what to do."  
  
Leaning down next to him, Crysania gave the still-hooded Zelgadis an apologetic smile.  
  
"I'm sure Raistlin doesn't mean it," she whispered. "I'm sure it will be all right if you come with us. If not, we can always help you when we're through."  
  
Zelgadis smiled back shyly. It wasn't very often a pretty woman was so kind to him.   
  
"So," Lina said to the cleric, sitting down on a rock next to the fire, "what's your name?"  
  
"Crysania," she replied.  
  
Turning back to the mage, Lina said, "And you're Raistlin, right? What was the other guy's name again?"  
  
"Caramon," Raistlin responded bitterly. "My twin brother."  
  
"Twin?" Gourry said, "You two don't look alike at all. I mean, he's a big, strapping guy with brown hair, and you don't have any face at all!"  
  
"You idiot," Lina growled, hitting Gourry on the back of the head, "that's 'cause he's wearing a hood! Jellyfish brain," she added to herself. "What's under that hood, anyway?"  
  
Raistlin sighed. It always wound up here. Reaching up, he slowly pulled the hood back and waited for the typical response of shock and horror.  
  
There was silence.  
  
Raistlin looked at the faces surrounding him. Crysania already knew what he looked like, of course, but the others were looking at him like he was just any other man.   
  
Crysania was confused.  
  
"Um," she ventured, "do you see anything unusual? You know, like Raistlin has white hair even though he's very young, or… You know, his golden skin? Or maybe the fact that his pupils are shaped like hourglasses?"  
  
Lina peered in for a closer look.  
  
"Oh, yeah," she affirmed, "he does. Neat."  
  
"Neat?" Raistlin said, taken aback.  
  
"Yeah, neat. Not even Zelgadis has cool eyes like that."  
  
Raistlin glanced sideways at the hooded man to his left.   
  
"Do many people look like me where you come from?"  
  
"Well," Zelgadis replied, "let's just say it's not the strangest thing we've ever seen."  
  
He pushed back his own hood.  
  
Crysania gasped.  
  
"Your face," she breathed, "what happened to it?"  
  
"Long story," Zelgadis said. "Basically, I was changed into a chimera. It means I'm party human, part demon, and part golem. That's why I have stone skin, and my hair-"  
  
Plucking a wiry hair from his head, he jabbed it into the log he was seated upon. It stuck halfway in.  
  
"Blessed Paladine," Crysania murmured.  
  
"Well," Raistlin said, "this has certainly been an interesting evening so far."  
  
"I'll say," said Amelia.  
  
Lina looked around.   
  
"Hey, where's dinner?"  



	3. I Couldn't Think of a Title.

Chapter 3: I Couldn't Think of a Title  
A/N: No, I don't own any of the rights to DragonLance or the Slayers series, etceteras, etceteras, you know the drill.   
"I am STARVING," said Lina.  
"Grrrraaaaaooorrrrruuurglugglugum," added her stomach loudly.  
"I know," Lina continued, comforting her stomach with a companionable pat, "I'll go help Caramon find food. Between the two of us, we're sure to get enough!"  
"Want me to help?" Gourry asked.  
"No," Lina scowled, "you'll only get in the way. Besides, you'll probably eat all of it before we get back to camp."  
Gourry hung his head, chastised, and Lina flounced off to find Caramon.  
The others waited more or less in silence. Crysania cast a few shy glances at Zelgadis, who pretended he hadn't noticed between his own timid peeks, and once or twice Amelia opened her mouth as if to say something, but Raistlin's glares shut her up. Gourry was secretly impressed. They'd all been trying to shut Amelia up for ages to no avail; Raistlin, he thought, must be pretty powerful if he can shut Amelia up just by looking at her.   
Ten long, awkward minutes later, Lina and Caramon returned triumphantly to the fireside, carrying between them six rabbits, two plump salmon (despite the fact that there was no river nearby, and it is exceedingly difficult to fish with one's hands, at night, in a stream that doesn't exist), a small deer, and twelve very surprised loaves of bread.  
No one bothered to ask where they had found twelve loaves of bread in the middle of both the night and a strange forest. Bread was bread.  
"Yup," Lina said, stretching lazily, "I guess that'll do. Another deer or two might've been nice, but we did the best we could with what we had. The pickings are pret-ty slim out there."  
Lina glanced over at Crysania, who was staring at her, slack-jawed.  
"What?" Lina said, and began to prepare dinner.  
It wasn't long before the Companions and their companions were tucking heartily into their supper-- some with more enthusiasm than others. Lina, Gourry, and Caramon picked the meat clean from the deer's bones just between the three of them. Meanwhile, Crysania tore idly at a loaf of bread and attempted to eat some fish, but the sight of the other three tearing at their meat like savage beasts-- Gourry reached out a hand to tear off a hunk of meat and Lina, growling, snapped at him-- made her appetite for flesh disappear completely.   
Oh, well, she thought. I never much liked red meat anyway.  
At the end of the meal, which took a surprisingly short time, the travelers sat comfortably around the fire and began to talk.  
Caramon and Gourry, it seemed, had found kindred spirits in one another. They were comparing swords.  
"My sword has battled the minions of evil for the Light," Caramon said proudly.  
"Yeah, but mine is a Sword OF Light," Gourry countered.  
"I'd like to say mine is, too," Caramon replied.  
"No, no, no," Gourry said. "SWORD of LIGHT. Look."  
He withdrew his sword, which illuminated the woods around them with the spectacular blue light its impressively large blade emanated.  
"Will you put that thing away?" Raistlin hissed. "That thing could be seen miles away! You'll get us all kill--" he fell into another fit of coughing. Concerned, Crysania rushed to his side and immediately began preparing water and herbs for him. Zelgadis looked on with a vague hint of jealousy.  
Meanwhile Gourry, abashed, had placed his sword back into its sheath and sat twiddling his thumbs.  
"Hey, I think it's a great sword," Caramon said comfortingly.   
"Thanks," Gourry muttered.  
"What sort of a quest are you on, Mister Raistlin?" Amelia asked politely. Raistlin glared.  
"A secret one. It's of no concern to you."  
"Secrets, secrets, are no fun," Lina recited. "'Fess up, master mage. What are you three up to, out here in these woods?"  
"I said it's none of your concern," Raistlin muttered coldly, and turned away, warning his companions with a glance to say no more on the subject.  
"I still don't understand," Crysania said, desperate to change the subject, "how all of you got here."  
"Neither do we," said Lina. "One minute we're heading back towards Seiyrune-- the kingdom of Amelia's father-- and then there was this big flash, like lightning, and the next thing we knew, we were here."  
"Hm," Raistlin murmured, but said nothing.  
"There is very powerful magic at work here," Crysania whispered. Shuddering, she moved a bit closer to Zelgadis, whose expression instantly crystallized. Small beads of sweat shone on his forehead in the firelight.   
"Yeah, I wish," Lina spat. "This is pissing me off! What am I supposed to do without magic?"  
"Make like the rest of us, I guess," Caramon said. "Plenty of people around here don't have any magic, like me, or Tika, and Tas doesn't really have any either, except what he might steal off've folks every--"  
"Shut up, brother," hissed Raistlin from beneath his hood, which had gone back over his head a long time ago.   
"I was just saying, is all," Caramon sulked, "that lots of people around here don't have magic, and we all get along fine."  
He turned back to Lina.  
"Does everyone use magic, where you come from?"  
"Nah," Lina answered, "not everyone. But the people who do, they're not exactly as organized as the magic-users here seem to be. What's up with those three Orders?"  
"Yes," Zelgadis added, "I'd like to hear more about those, too."  
Raistlin sighed. There was no helping it.  
"All mages here in ... are divided into three groups, or Orders, each with its own branch of magic, its own leaders, and its own color. The Black Robes are the practitioners of black magic, the White Robes of white magic, and--"  
"--And the Gray Robes practice gray magic?" Guessed Gourry. It might, just might, have been a moment of surprising clarity for him, but--  
"The Red Robes practice neutral magic. There are no gray robes."  
"But black and white make--" Gourry began, but Lina poked her elbow forcefully into his ribs.  
"Jellyfish brain. I guess you're a Black Robe, then?"  
"Yes," Raistlin replied guardedly. "I am."  
"And I would guess that your unusual appearance is the result of a magical mishap?" Ventured Zelgadis, as someone who should know.  
"That's none of your business," Raistlin said shortly.   
"Geez, all these secrets," said Lina. "You remind me of someone else we know. He's got a lot of secrets, too."  
"How nice for him," Raistlin muttered sardonically.   
"Do you think maybe the others got sent here, too?" Amelia asked.  
"Dunno," said Lina. "I just hope if they did, we can find them. If anyone can get us out of here, I bet Xellos can."  
"Xellos?" Caramon said. "Who's he?"  
"The guy with a lot of secrets," answered Zelgadis. "And frankly, I think we'd all be better off without him. If anything, he's probably part of the reason we're here."  
Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis looked at one another for a moment, considering this.  
"You know, Zel, I just bet you're right. That little creep," Lina growled.   
"We shouldn't assume things," Amelia piped. "Maybe Mister Xellos has nothing to do with this. Maybe it's something to do with a monster."  
"Monster?" Said Lina incredulously. "No monster we know has enough power to do something like this. I mean, the only one I could imagine being able to send us to a different world would be, I don't know, maybe Shabranigdo, but we already defeated him. There's no one left! Unless..."  
"Unless..." Murmured Zelgadis.  
"Unless?" Wondered Gourry.  
"Unless," said Lina, "one of them came back."  
There was silence around the fire for some time, and finally Caramon said,  
"Monsters?"  
"Oh, yeah," Lina said casually. "We've got scores of monsters. They were after us for a long time, but the last one we faced down was the Demon King Phibrizzo."  
"The Demon King Who?"  
"Phibrizzo. Nasty piece of work. Wanted me to cast this one spell, the Giga Slave; it's so powerful, he thought I would lose control of it and it would destroy the whole world. I refused to do it, of course, and eventually he wound up trying to kill everyone. Then I had no choice, because all of my friends were dead, so I cast it-- but I managed to keep it under control. Phibrizzo was destroyed, and everyone came back to life."  
Crysania had been listening to the story with rapt attention.  
"How is that possible," she breathed, "for all of you to return from the dead?"  
"Ya know," Lina said, cocking her head, "I never thought of that. Huh. Cool."  
"I suppose," said Zelgadis, "it was because when you encountered the Lord of Nightmares, you were able to reverse all the damage Phibrizzo had done, and the spell sort of worked backwards."  
"Could be," said Lina, and then she shrugged. "Whatever. Alls I know is, we were done, we were heading back to Seiyrune after Martina's wedding, and BAM! We're stuck in this god-forsaken place."  
Raistlin stood up, leaning on his staff.  
"I am going to sleep now," he announced. "Caramon and Crysania, we will be continuing to the Tower very early in the morning, so I suggest you do the same. As for the rest of you... I hope you find your way home soon. Very, very soon. Goodnight."  
With that, he turned and stalked off into the dark woods. Caramon and Crysania also rose.  
"Listen," said Crysania softly, and she took Zelgadis's hands in her own. He began blushing furiously.  
"Listen," the cleric repeated, "sometimes Raistlin can seem very unfriendly, but he's really not so bad. He's just very committed to his magic, that's all. I'm sure that if you happen to show up by the Tower tomorrow morning, Raistlin won't turn you away. We really could use your help, I think, as long as you're here-- and if you want to, that is."  
Zelgadis's eyes had taken on a very glassy look.  
"I'd-- I mean, we'd love to help, Crysania. What exactly do you need us to do?"  
Caramon was shifting from foot to foot.  
"I don't think this is a good idea, Crysania. We should just follow Raistlin. I mean, maybe after we're done, you know, maybe we could try and help you guys find your way home, but for now..."  
"Oh, Caramon, think: four able-bodied warriors like these--" she smiled shyly at Zelgadis "--would certainly come in handy, at least as a guard for us. I mean, you're very strong indeed, but we could surely use all the help we can get, don't you think?"  
Innocent and ingenuous as she was, Crysania could be very clever in some ways.  
"Well... I guess..." Caramon said slowly. He said most things slowly. Lina and Amelia glanced back and forth between Caramon and Gourry, then nodded at each other: the two warriors were like long-lost brothers. It was eerie.  
"All right," concluded Caramon. "If you four show up tomorrow morning, I'll do my best to speak up for you. But no guarantees: if Raistlin doesn't want you there, you'll have to leave."  
"Sounds good to me," Lina said brightly. "We'll just stay here tonight, and meet the three of you in the morning. Just let us know where we have to be."  
Crysania and Caramon exchanged worried glances.   
"We-ell," Crysania began, "that's kind of difficult. You see, in this forest you don't find things-- they generally find you. We want to go to the Tower of Darvish, you see; there is great evil in that place, and we are trying to rid the Tower of it."  
"Hey, no prob, slaying demons is our specialty," said Lina.  
"Right, well... I suppose you'll just have to want to go to the Tower, and hopefully you'll come to it eventually. We're not even certain we'll make it there. But, with Paladine on our side..."  
"Who?" Asked Gourry.  
"Paladine, the Great One. He is the deity all the Clerics worship. He will guide us tomorrow when we vanquish the wickedness that breeds in the Tower of Darvish."  
"Oh, right," Gourry said. "That guy."  
The others looked at him blankly.   
"Okay," Lina said, "we'll see what we can do. See you guys tomorrow, then!"  
"Goodnight," Crysania and Caramon replied.  
"Goodnight," Zelgadis murmured, barely able to tear his eyes away from the cleric as she left with Caramon, the moonlight shining on her beautiful, long black hair and her clear, pale skin.   
Amelia's lower lip began to tremble as she watched Zelgadis watching Crysania, her cheeks reddening, and Lina waved a hand in front of the chimera's face.  
"Nothing else for it," she said, "I think he's lost to us forever."  
  



End file.
